Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 206: Chapter 204: Shedding the Mortal

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Xiao Ruoling’s bright eyes flickered as she looked at him in confusion.

These three Sky-reaching Grasses are harmful and cannot be consumed, but since they are Spirit Grasses from the Secret Land, they still hold value.

She planned to take them to Yao Yue Palace to exchange with other disciples for some treasures or spirit pills.

Chu Zhiyuan took out one Sky-reaching Grass, closed his eyes.

Visualized the Heavenly Talisman.

Before his eyes, it turned black and hazy, then he became the Sky-reaching Grass.

...

A time for tea passed, and Chu Zhiyuan remained motionless with closed eyes, Xiao Ruoling was not worried.

A quarter of an hour passed, and Chu Zhiyuan still did not move with his eyes closed, seeming to have fallen asleep, his breathing somewhat rapid.

Two quarters passed, and he still remained as still as if asleep.

Xiao Ruoling then got a bit restless.

An hour passed.

Xiao Ruoling stared at him intensely, anxiety flashing in her eyes, growing more severe as time passed.

If it weren’t for Chu Zhiyuan’s breathing fluctuating between rapid and calm, she would have long since reached out to check.

Suddenly, Chu Zhiyuan opened his eyes.

His eyes sparkled like lightning, illuminating the cabin.

Only then did she realize, unknowingly, the sun had set, and the cabin was dim.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled.

"How is it?"

"Very good." Chu Zhiyuan examined the Sky-reaching Grass in his hand with a satisfied smile, "Extremely good."

Xiao Ruoling felt he was acting strange today, curiously scrutinizing him.

Chu Zhiyuan said with a smile, "The growth environment of the Sky-reaching Grass is unique; it needs to grow in the shady side of the sun and the bright side of the moon."

"Shady side of the sun, bright side of the moon?"

"The shady side of the sun means during the day, it can’t be in the sunlight. The bright side of the moon means at night it should be in moonlight."

"Not in shaded places?"

"How can a shaded place have moonlight?"

"Then where is it?"

"During the day, something should shield it from the sun, and at night, this thing should retract, not blocking the moonlight."

"A flower?"

"Ordinary flowers won’t do, the flower needs to be large enough, once it sees sunlight, it dies."

"... Truly peculiar." Xiao Ruoling slowly nodded, then asked curiously, "How did you know this?"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled without speaking.

Xiao Ruoling rolled her eyes and said, "Alright, I’ll try to find it."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Besides swordsmanship, you also need to enhance your Qinggong. Yao Yue Palace’s Qinggong is renowned, isn’t it?"

Through the three Sky-reaching Grasses, he glimpsed some of the scenes in the Secret Land, gaining initial insight into Yao Yue Palace’s Secret Land.

The locations of these three Sky-reaching Grasses were different: one at a mountain peak, one mid-mountain, and another by the river.

Through these three Sky-reaching Grasses, he could see everything within a hundred meters range.

Peach trees could only see within twenty meters, green bamboos within ten meters, but Sky-reaching Grasses could see within a hundred meters.

The range is due to each’s spirit light.

He speculated it might also be related to the range of absorbing Spiritual Energy.

Through these three Sky-reaching Grasses, he discovered that the Secret Land of Yao Yue Palace was full of dangers.

Any plant could be poisonous, any animal could be perilous.

A seemingly small rabbit could bite a stone to pieces in one bite, feeding on iron and stone.

A seemingly tiny squirrel could leap ten meters, grabbing a flying bird into its mouth, chewing it up in a few bites.

A seemingly beautiful little fish could leap out of water, a bite could poison a giant bear to death.

The danger of animals in the Secret Land is not related to their weight, with creatures like giant bears being dangerous for their speed and strength, yet small animals can be equally dangerous.

...

"Master taught me the Flower Moon Shadow Step."

"Steps that harmonize with swordsmanship?"

"Yes, this is also a top-notch Qinggong. If mastered, its power combined with swordsmanship is even more astounding."

"Practice it."

Xiao Ruoling’s graceful body flashed, the cabin curtain swayed, and she had disappeared without a trace.

Chu Zhiyuan followed her out of the cabin and saw her swiftly darting across the lake like a shadow, noiseless and ghostly fast.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded in satisfaction.

Yao Yue Palace’s Qinggong is supreme, renowned far and wide.

This Flower Moon Shadow Step is indeed exceptional; compared to his own Near and Far Steps, it might be slightly slower, but its turning and changing are better.

The Near and Far Steps are similar to a short sprint, rapid and quick, but once sprinting, changing direction is not so easy.

Moreover, it empties the Qi of Dantian instantly.

Without the Earth Origin Technique, the Near and Far Steps become somewhat impractical.

He observed Xiao Ruoling’s True Qi flow within her body, detecting where her Qi stagnated, and helped her adjust.

Qinggong is not just about driving Qi, it’s about the coordination of body and Qi. The more perfectly coordinated, the faster the speed.

With just a few pointers from Chu Zhiyuan, Xiao Ruoling felt a significant increase in speed, with her Qinggong becoming more fluid and smooth.

Regarding Qinggong, Chu Zhiyuan did not proceed as gradually as with swordsmanship, not fearing she couldn’t keep up to say too much in a day.

For her, practicing Qinggong is simpler, with no need for confrontation, just remembering the feeling of her own body.

With Chu Zhiyuan’s precise guidance, her speed increased more and more, and by midnight, she was drenched in fragrant sweat, her speed having doubled.

Only then did Chu Zhiyuan leave, satisfied.

During this process, Chu Zhiyuan continually assisted her cultivation with the Qionghua Nine Chapters, practicing Qinggong while cultivating.

——

In the morning, Chu Zhiyuan appeared at Mingwu Hall.

Chu Qingfeng saw him coming, shook his head, and said, "Don’t pry."

Chu Zhiyuan looked at him helplessly.

"It’s best not to inquire about this matter, there’s no benefit."

"Uncle Gong, I just want to know why the Yongling Divine Sect led Da Meng’s Iron Cavalry into Fuyuan Town?"

"Your curiosity is really too much!"

"Feeling like a bone stuck in my throat, I have to know."

"... I can’t say."

"Uncle Gong, then I want to know, after committing such a large crime, is the Yongling Divine Sect still unscathed?"

"Of course, they must be severely punished."

"How severe?"

"The Sect Hierarch of Yongling Divine Sect is now heavily wounded, won’t come out for ten years."

"For ten years, Yongling Divine Sect can’t make trouble again?"

"Hmm."

"This is too lenient for them." Chu Zhiyuan was unsatisfied, "How many people died when Fuyuan Town fell? Just let it pass like this?"

"Yongling Divine Sect still has to pay some price, like treasures and spiritual medicines, the Heavenly Treasure Department will deal with them... By the way, because of this great victory, Prince Ying has asked for your merits, go to the Heavenly Treasure Department to take a look."

Chu Zhiyuan was stunned, then overjoyed.

"Go, go quickly to practice, don’t go poking around."

"Yes."

——

Chu Zhiyuan sat on the bed in Tingtao Courtyard.

The window was open, letting in bright sunlight.

Chu Zhiyuan sat in the sunlight, slowly opening a small jade bottle, a golden elixir pill rolled into his palm.

In the bright sunlight, this Dragon Eye-sized Golden Core shone like it was made of gold.

The smile at Chu Zhiyuan’s lips gradually widened.

Transcendence Pill!

This was the Transcendence Pill he had been yearning for.

Prince Ying, Chu Mingrui, shared a large portion of the merits from the great victory of Fuyuan Town with Chu Zhiyuan, causing his merits to soar and finally advance from Second Grade to First Grade.

That is battle merit.

Battle merit is the greatest of all merits.

Outside the battlefield, achieving merits to advance to First Grade is extremely challenging, while on the battlefield, the difficulty is reduced by tenfold.

Thus he exchanged for this Transcendence Pill.

Gazing at this First Grade Spirit Pill, Chu Zhiyuan indulged in beautiful fantasies.

Alongside was a tinge of worry.

This is already a First Grade Spirit Pill, the top grade among spirit pills.

Its efficacy signifies the ultimate efficacy of spirit pills, can it help him advance to the Sixth Layer Heaven?

If it can only take him to the Sixth Layer Heaven, the remaining four layers would need him to slowly grind his way through?

These thoughts appeared in his mind one after another, leaving him unable to calm his mind.

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